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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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When and How Did Dog Fighting Come to America?
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Although there are historical accounts of dog fights going back to the 1750s, widespread activity emerged after the Civil War, with professional pits proliferating in the 1860s, mainly in the Northeast.
Ironically, it was a common form of entertainment for police officers and firemen—the “Police Gazette” served as a major source of information on dog fighting for many years. Although many laws were passed outlawing the activity, dog fighting continued to expand throughout the twentieth century. |
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Where Did These Animals Come From?
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Many of the dogs were brought over from England and Ireland, where dog fighting had begun to flourish after bull-baiting and bear-baiting became illegal in the 1830s.
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How Has the ASPCA Combated Dog Fighting Through the Years?
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Henry Bergh, founder of the ASPCA, was particularly repulsed by the brutality of the dog fighting he saw in New York and elsewhere. His 1867 revision of the state’s animal cruelty law made all forms of animal fighting illegal for the first time, including bull, bear, dog and cockfighting. The involvement of regular police in dog fighting activities was one of the reasons Bergh sought and received authority for the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Agents to have arresting powers in New York.
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How Does the ASPCA Combat Dog Fighting Today?
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Today, the ASPCA incorporates information on blood “sports” in the animal cruelty trainings it provides in New York’s police academies as well as in police officer trainings around the country.
It also provides training on a national level to animal control officers and veterinarians on how to identify the signs of animal cruelty, as well as in crime scene investigation (CSI). |
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Are There Different Levels of Dog Fighting?
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“Street” fighters engage in dog fights that are informal, street corner, back alley and playground activities.
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Are There Different Levels of Dog Fighting?
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“Hobbyist” fighters are more organized, with one or more dogs participating in several organized fights a year as a sideline for both “entertainment” and to attempt to supplement income.
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Are There Different Levels of Dog Fighting?
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“Professional” dog fighters often have large numbers of animals (often 50 or more) and earn money from breeding, selling and fighting dogs at a central location and on the road.
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How Widespread is Dog Fighting in America?
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Estimates based on fight reports in underground dog fighting publications, and on animals entering shelters bearing evidence of fighting, suggest that the number of people involved in dog fighting in the U.S. is in the tens of thousands.
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Is Dog Fighting More Prevalent in One Part of the Country?
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No. Dog fighting has been reported in urban, suburban and rural settings in all regions of the country.
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What Types of People Are Involved in Dog Fighting?
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Just as dog fighting cuts across many regions of the country, participants and spectators at dogfights are a diverse group.
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What Other Crimes Are Associated With Dog Fighting?
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Many of the practices associated with the raising and training of fighting dogs can be prosecuted separately as animal abuse or neglect.
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Why Do People Get Involved In Dog Fighting?
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There are many reasons people are attracted to dog fighting. The most basic is greed. Major dog fight raids have resulted in seizures of more than $500,000, and it is not unusual for $20,000 - $30,000 to change hands in a single fight.
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What Dogs Are Used In Dog Fighting?
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Although there are many breeds of dogs used for fighting worldwide, the dog of choice for fighting in America is the American Pit Bull Terrier. Fila Brasileiros, Dog Argentinos and Presa Canarios have also been used in this blood “sport”.
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Does This Mean the Pit Bull Is Unsuitable As a Family Pet?
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Even though it was bred as a fighting dog—or perhaps because of that—the American Pit Bull terrier was one of the most popular dogs of the time, noted for its strength, intelligence and devotion to their family.
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Can All dogs Be Trained to Fight?
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No. Much like herding dogs, trailing dogs and other breeds selected for particular roles, fighting dogs are born ready for the training that will prepare them to succeed in the pit, and are bred to have a high degree of dog aggression.
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Where Do the Dogs Who Are Used In Dog Fights Come From?
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For “professional” and “hobbyist” dogfighters, the sale of pups from parents who have won several fights is a major part of their activity. Underground dog fighting publications and websites are commonly used to advertise pups or the availability of breeding stock. Many “street” level fighters think they can also make money by breeding and selling dogs, but a great number of these animals are killed or abandoned if they fail to perform.
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How Are Fighting Dogs Raised and Trained?
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Fighting dogs must be kept isolated from other dogs, so they spend most of their lives on short, heavy chains, often just out of reach of other dogs. They are usually poorly socialized to any other dogs and to most people.
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Why Do Fighting Dogs Have Their Ears Cropped and Tails Docked?
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Fighting dogs used by all types of fighters usually have their ears cropped and tails docked close to their bodies. This serves two purposes. First, it limits the number of areas of the body that another dog might grab onto in a fight, and second, it makes it more difficult for other dogs to read the animal’s mood and intentions through the normal body language cues dogs use to avoid aggressive encounters.
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What Goes On In a Dog Fight?
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fights can take place in a variety of locations and at any time. They may be impromptu events in a back alley, or carefully planned and staged enterprises in a location specially designed and maintained for the purpose. Usually the fight takes place in a pit that is between 14 and 20 feet square, with sides that may be plywood, hay bales, chain link or anything else that can contain the animals.
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How Long Do Dog Fights Last?
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Fights can last several hours. Both animals may suffer injuries ranging from puncture wounds, lacerations and blood loss to dehydration, crushing injuries and/or broken bones.
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What Happens to the Losing Dog?
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Unless they have had a good history of past performance or come from valuable bloodlines, losing dogs are often discarded, killed or left untreated.
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What Are the Laws Related to Dog Fighting?
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As of 2008, dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In most states, the possession of dogs for the purpose of fighting is also a felony offense.
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What Happens to Dogs Who Are Seized From Dog Fight Operations? Can They Be Rehabilitated?
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Fighting dogs have been bred and trained to inflict injuries on other animals, and are difficult to house and care for. They are often relatively friendly to people, since such people have been the only source of food and attention—but they can be unpredictable around other animals.
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If Dog Fighting Is So Widespread, Why Don’t More Cases Come to Light?
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Dog fighting is a violent and highly secretive enterprise that is extremely difficult for law enforcement and investigative professionals to infiltrate. A dog fight investigation requires many of the same skills and resources as a major undercover narcotics investigation, and challenges the resources of any agency that seeks to respond to it.
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What Can Communities Do to Combat Dog Fighting?
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The first step in combating dog fighting is for individuals to alert the authorities to any suspected or actual dog fighting activities in their area—identification of the problem is the first step to a solution.
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What Can Citizens Do?
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The enforcement of animal cruelty laws begins with the individual. If you see something, please say something—notify your local police and/or humane law enforcement of any suspicious activities that suggest dog fighting is taking place in your community.
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How Prevalent Is Dog Fighting in New York City?
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In general, dog fighting is difficult to detect. ASPCA HLE Agents report seeing the peripheral effects and elements of dog fighting—these include injured dogs who had extensive wounds consistent with injuries of a "bait dog," such as scars and cuts in various stages of healing, as well as multiple, and often serious, bite wounds.
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Does the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (BMAH) See Many Dogs Who Have Incurred Injuries As a Result of Dog Fighting? What Kind of Injuries Do These Dogs Most Often Show?
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No, the ASPCA BMAH rarely, if ever, sees dogs who have incurred injuries as a result of dog fighting. This does not mean that dog fighting does not occur in New York. It is possible that such dogs are less likely to be brought to the ASPCA for treatment.
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The Sociology of Dogfighting
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It is extremely difficult for anyone besides dogmen to justify dogfighting. Law enforcement officials that penetrate the clandestine subculture are routinely sickened by the macabre blood sport. American culture has criminalized dogfighting and stigmatizes those deviant enough to engage in it.
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The Criminal Link: Peripheral Criminal Activity Typically Associated with Dogfighting
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Dogfighting does not exist in a vacuum, rather it occurs in conjunction with a host of peripheral criminal activities. Law enforcement agents that respond to dogfighting complaints should be prepared to encounter any or all of the following crimes
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